Utility PG&E’s Potter Valley Project includes two dams on the Eel River that are up for relicensing. Water diversions into the Russian River for power generation are in jeopardy as salmon and steelhead remain at risk of extinction. Written by Matt Weiser Published on Jan. 29, 2018 Read time Approx. 6 minutes Few people outside Northern California have heard of the … Continue reading “Diverted River Sustains California Wine Country, but It’s Killing Salmon”

The steady expansion of vineyards in California’s premier wine-growing region is moving uphill into oak and other woodlands and is adversely affecting fish and wildlife. Other wine areas, from Oregon’s Willamette Valley to Mendoza in Argentina, are facing similar issues. By Alastair Bland • May 11, 2017 Kellie Anderson stands in the understory of a … Continue reading “In Napa Valley, Vineyards and Conservationists Battle for the Hills”

By Alastair Bland Tyler Heck remembers the summer days that often sent him down the hill from his family’s home off Erland Road and into the cool waters of Van Buren Creek for relief. He remembers diving into the water and swimming, even in July and August. It was the 1980s. Heck, now 32, says … Continue reading “Sapping the Well”

Hundreds of drinking-water wells across California’s San Joaquin Valley have been found to contain 1,2,3-trichloropropane, a likely human carcinogen. This month, the state has taken a big step forward in regulating the chemical. Carlos Arias is asked by many residents in the small town of Del Rey, California, if the water is safe to drink. … Continue reading “California Set to Regulate Carcinogen in Water for Decades”

February 27, 2017 In April of last year we posted an interview televised on Ring of Fire about the high levels of inorganic arsenic in wines: (http://winewaterwatch.org/2016/04/first-they-found-toxic-glyphosate-in-wine-and-now-arsenic/) and noted that a lawsuit was going to be filed. Wine labeling laws let the wine producers hide alot of additives, arsenic being one for color, smell and flavor … Continue reading “Lawsuit Alleges Wineries Failed To Warn Consumers Of Arsenic-Tainted Wine”

by Stett Holbrook December 07, 2016 Sonoma and Napa counties respond differently to new groundwater law Call it a tale of two counties. A new state law requires that local governments regulate groundwater for the first time. Sonoma County has begun a lengthy process to create long-term sustainable groundwater management plans for its at-risk water … Continue reading “New Era on Tap”